It’s no surprise that you’re on the hunt for a senior care facility for your loved one. Reports show that 70% of people will need some sort of assisted care later in life. At some point, you’ll probably need to find a facility for your parents and eventually you.
If you want your loved one to enjoy the rest of their life, selecting senior living communities is a decision you can’t take lightly. Remember the five factors below to find the perfect facility for seniors.
1. Specialized Medical Services
If your loved one is like many others, they have medical conditions that need special care. While medication is enough to deal with some of those issues, others will need specialized care.
You need specialized knowledge to handle some of those cases. Unfortunately, not every senior facility will employ staff with that knowledge. Check the services offered by senior living communities to make sure your loved ones will get the medical attention they need.
2. Accreditation
Even though nursing needs licenses, a senior living facility isn’t required by law to have accreditation in every location. Without that extra level of accreditation, how can you know what facilities stand above the rest?
Luckily, there are accreditation organizations for senior living communities that want to go above and beyond what’s required. Look to see which facilities take the extra time to prove they can handle your loved one’s needs.
3. Staff Ratio
Even if a facility does hire talented staff, that doesn’t mean they have enough to care for every patient. Many facilities operate with staff shortages. If that happens, your loved one may not get the attention they need.
Ask the facilities you interview what their staff-to-resident ratio is. If that ratio is too large, you may need to look for another nursing facility.
4. Facility Amenities
The last thing you want to do is send your loved one to a facility with nothing to do. Sure, some people will stay in their rooms and watch TV all day. Others will want to get out and about to do other activities.
Check to see what senior living community amenities are available when you tour facilities. Add your loved one’s favorite activities to your senior community checklist to see if there are things they would enjoy in a facility.
5. Community Trust
Trust is critical when considering a facility for your loved one to live their life. You won’t be able to be there constantly, so you have to trust that the people running the place are doing their jobs right.
Before you commit to a facility, check reviews and testimonials from other people to see what they think. A trustworthy senior independent living facility will have plenty of people willing to talk about their positive experiences.
Selecting Senior Living Communities Takes Time
Selecting senior living communities is one decision you don’t want to rush. You must take your time and carefully vet each of your senior community options to avoid deciding on a bad senior facility.
The factors above are a great way to narrow down your options. Keep it in mind to make sure you find the perfect community for your loved one.
Head back to the blog to learn more about making more critical life decisions.
